June is a busy鈥攁lbeit joyful鈥攎onth for MiMi Scardulla. By night, she鈥檚 turning heads as Kit Kat Club dancer Texas in Broadway鈥檚 hit revival of Cabaret. On June 22, she鈥檒l bring that same fierce authenticity to the stage of Broadway Bares, the annual burlesque spectacular benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. And to top it all off, she鈥檚 celebrating her first Pride as a married woman, alongside her wife, Skylar Soehner.
Scardulla鈥檚 Broadway journey has been defined by grit, glamour, and unapologetic pride. She made her debut in Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls, slayed in the ensemble of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, and continues to win hearts with her dynamic stage presence, comedic bite and boundary-pushing spirit. Whether commanding the Kit Kat Club or (almost) baring it all at Broadway Bares, Scardulla is celebrating the full spectrum of Broadway beauty鈥攁nd empowering others to do the same.
You鈥檙e performing in both Cabaret and Broadway Bares this Pride month. What does it mean to you to bring your authentic self to these roles during Pride?
MiMi Scardulla: It鈥檚 just鈥� existence. It means so much to be in Cabaret every night and be representation people don鈥檛 have. And Bares makes me feel the same way. In times of hardship, in what we鈥檙e going through as a country, we tend to cling to the most stereotypical ideas of beauty. But during Pride month, it鈥檚 about being proud of who you are and how you feel and who you love.
Being on stage at Broadway Bares and at Cabaret is standing in that pride. Like, this is who I am. I'm MiMi Scardulla. I'm 250 pounds of pure glitter and awesomeness and love, and I love who I love and how I love them. And it is just true pride.
As a bigger girl myself, when I saw Cabaret, I experienced just that. A woman who looks like me, who is unapologetically beautiful and sexy and doing her thing. It was so affirming.
I have this moment at the stage door with these amazing, mostly women, who are like: 鈥淚 wish I could have seen you when I was in high school. I would not have given up.鈥� And even when I was in A Beautiful Noise, those comments still ring over and over again in my head. Because I don鈥檛 want anyone ever giving up on their dreams because of how they look, ever again. And I鈥檓 not saying it鈥檚 not hard work鈥攊t is hard work, but it鈥檚 worth it. I want people to open their minds.
You鈥檙e no stranger to the Broadway Bares stage. How has your relationship to the show evolved over the years, and what keeps you coming back?
It鈥檒l be my sixth Bares this year, which feels wild. I鈥檒l never forget my first Broadway Bares鈥攚hich I had no intention of doing. I was talking to my good friend Gina, and she asked if I was doing Broadway Bares, and I said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know babe. No one wants to see this Broadway bare.鈥� And then I went to [Broadway Bares executive producer] Nick Kenkel鈥檚 class at Broadway Dance Center. We鈥檙e dancing, and he goes, 鈥淵ou, what鈥檚 your name? Talk to me after class. You鈥檙e not in trouble.鈥�
He asked, 鈥淒o you know about this thing called Broadway Bares? I need you to fill out an application by 3 PM tomorrow. We have a number that would be great for you.鈥� And that ended up being [choreographer] John Alix鈥檚 Barbie-themed number in Broadway Bares: On Demand.
It was my first year living in the city. I graduated early and moved to the city with none of my classmates. Broadway Bares gave me community. I鈥檓 still close friends with everyone I met that year. It was an acceptance of self, that I could exist in this performing space and have this community.
I think it鈥檚 so funny how performers are still, to this day, unsure about Broadway Bares. I hear people not want to get in the mental space of getting ripped for the show. But it鈥檚 funny to me, because the moment you walk through those doors on Bares weekend, no one is talking about how their body looks. It鈥檚 about fun. It鈥檚 about community. It鈥檚 about how many dollars we can raise to help provide healthy meals and doctor visits for people facing tough times right now. No one is talking about their abs, and everyone is talking about the fundraising.
For me, my relationship has evolved in the way I belong to the community. I love this community, and I want everyone to be in this community. It鈥檚 one of the most special weekends of the year鈥攁ll of us celebrating one another and doing good.
What helps you feel most powerful and proud when you're performing, especially in shows as emotionally and physically exposed as Cabaret and Bares?
When I was growing up, I never thought I was beautiful. I was alone most of my life. I didn鈥檛 date a lot, so it was hard to convince myself that I was beautiful. But when I was in dance class, and I looked at myself dancing in the mirror for those 14 eight counts, I believed I was beautiful because I had physical proof. So as I鈥檝e grown up, I obviously believe I鈥檓 beautiful, but when I鈥檓 dancing in Cabaret it鈥檚 so celebratory of my body. I get to bring every piece of myself to Cabaret, and it affirms me and makes me feel powerful.
And it鈥檚 about that connection to the audience, when I look up and someone is looking straight at me. We are connected and celebrating each other and we are growing and we are vibing. And Broadway Bares, it鈥檚 all a conversation with the audience. I鈥檓 like, 鈥測eah, you鈥檙e watching my big booty dance on Broadway, and that鈥檚 really cool.鈥�
What does Pride look like for you this year?
Pride looks busy. I am still in Cabaret. I鈥檓 doing Broadway Bares, and I鈥檓 doing a workshop of a new musical. So Pride looks like gay people getting their money!
It looks like meeting new communities and celebrating current communities. At Cabaret, we joke that we鈥檙e the most queer show on Broadway right now. So I think every day at the Kit Kat Club is Pride, and definitely every day at Bares is Pride. So, it鈥檚 going to be super busy鈥攂ut the last weekend of June is my first weekend off, and I hope that my wife and I have the most fun Pride celebrations.
Broadway Bares has always been about celebration, liberation, and community. As a veteran of the show, what do you think makes it such a special experience for both performers and audiences?
What makes it so special for audiences is that the directors have been so brilliant about showing everyone鈥檚 beauty on stage. You鈥檒l ride the subway to the show, and then you will see everyone you saw on the subway depicted on that stage. Every race, every color, every body size, everyone will be up there because everyone is beautiful.
And as a performer, when we鈥檙e doing eight shows a week, we don鈥檛 often get a sense of the impact we make. But in Broadway Bares, from the minute you start your first rehearsal to the last minute of the show, you鈥檙e feeling the impact you鈥檙e making. You are seeing the dollars go up. You鈥檙e not just going to rehearsal and kicking your leg. It鈥檚 about doing good.
Plus, is it not every child鈥檚 dream to go and get your makeup done to high heaven and to dance in this giant Hammerstein Ballroom filled to the brim with people and be celebrated? The most incredible way to be an artist is to perform in Broadway Bares. It is freeing, it's exciting, it is daring and brave to put your body out there in that way. And that feeling of being able to do that in such a safe environment is so beautiful. So let鈥檚 go!
Francesca Toscano is the Senior Content Manager for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Tickets for Broadway Bares start at $75. There are also VIP tickets which offers unlimited specialty cocktails, reserved seating, a backstage tour, and a special ticket includes an invitation to a private cocktail party hosted by Bares founder Jerry Mitchell. Visit .
See Scardulla become Ruby Red in this promo photo shoot for Broadway Bares: Come Out, Come Out:
MiMi Scardulla
MiMi Scardulla
MiMi Scardulla
MiMi Scardulla
